LANCASTER (Aug. 28, 2003) � Over 300 elementary students at Resurrection Catholic School in Lancaster today joined with their parents, teachers and Pennsylvania Bar Association President Thomas Golden to launch the anti-violence program Project PEACE.

Sponsored by Attorney General Mike Fisher and the Pennsylvania Bar Association/Foundation, Project PEACE (Peaceful Endings through Attorneys, Children and Educators) seeks to teach students how to discuss and mediate disagreements. During today�s program, students trained as peer mediators demonstrated how the Project PEACE peer mediation process works.

�Project PEACE helps children find peaceful solutions to problems, rather than turning to conflict, bullying or violence,� President Golden said. �The PBA is pleased to join with Attorney General Fisher in bringing this important program to Resurrection Catholic School. Over the past four years we have seen how Project PEACE can make a difference in Pennsylvania schools by helping to reduce conflict and violence.�

Resurrection Catholic School officials chose students to train as peer mediators. During the assembly, those students demonstrated mediation techniques for the entire student body. Last spring, teams of principals, educators, parents and attorneys representing 12 Pennsylvania elementary schools, including Resurrection Catholic, were selected to participate in the Project PEACE training conference in State College. During the training, school teams � composed of one administrator, one educator, one guidance counselor or a second educator, one parent and one attorney � were introduced to the peer mediation process through hands-on learning activities. At the end of the training, schools wrote their own mediation plans, which were implemented in their local schools.

The Project PEACE training model was developed by the Temple University Beasley School of Law�s LEAP Program. It initially was created for a program in Indiana and has since been modified to meet the needs of Pennsylvania schools. Project PEACE is celebrating its fifth year in Pennsylvania. Click here for more information on Project PEACE.